Ah, this is so sad!
Hermione remembering her parents as they were two years ago and them not having the slightest idea of who she is -- too sad! I wonder if you'll have them remember her, I thought that the memory charm could be reversed or something?

Ron's so sweet, I do feel bad for him. But I can get why Hermione gets annoyed with him, he's being a tad overprotective...

I love the feeling of this story in general and of the beginning of this chapter in particular. Hogwarts in wintertime and everything... Very gloomy, but in a captivating way.

Um. This is me trying to leave a review of "normal" size for a change, hee! ^_^

Can't wait to see what's going to happen next! :)

Author's Response: Hey Smashing Sophie,

Ahhh damn of course you caught straight on... Yes the charm is reversible, but she doesn't remember that, does she? And for the sake of this story, we'll pretend that everyone else thinks that it's a permanent memory wipe ;) but yes. You're right. Shhh

For this story, because all of characters are well known and established, I have to do my best to write how they would normally act.. Put myself in their shoes, as such. To me, Ron has always been a bit of an overprotective person, so I'm trying to reflect that.

This is a wonderful one-shot! I can't think of a single thing that I don't love about it! Its simplicity, the flower imagery, the vivid images you paint with your words, the metaphors, the fact that it's about Lavender...!

Post-war Lavender is a little obsession of mine (I went as far as to write a short story on her) and I must say that you conveyed the change in her beautifully. She has gone a long way and has done a lot of growing up and now she is a sensible, thoughtful young woman.
Lavender/Pansy is probably the strangest pairing I've ever seen on this site, but you made it seem very natural without having to say much about it.

I really liked the way that you ended it, with the relationship ending without Lavender finding out why Pansy never showed up, but being content in herself and her life all the same. I loved it, because really, that's how life is.

There's a delicacy about your writing that gives the story a feeling of lightness and sophistication and makes it an absolute pleasure to read. If this isn't what you normally write, I strongly suggest that you explore this "path", because this is just too good!

Author's Response: Wow, thank you so much for this wonderful review.

I can't say I liked Lavender too much in the books, and I've never payed too much attention to her after the books, but this plot bunny just bounded into my head one day, and I thought it would be interesting to try it. Character development was a huge part of this story, and I'm really glad you think that I managed to convey it through Lavender.

Lavender/Pansy is very strange and I don't think I've ever seen it before on this site, and I wanted to make it unique but at the same time not make too much of a big deal of it, if that makes sense? I was worried about the ending a bit, because I didn't want people to be too disappointed that they didn't stay together.

I'm so glad you liked this story and the style of writing, thank you so much for reading this story and leaving an absolutely amazing review! :D

This was truly lovely!
In a depressing, angsty way, that is. Which is good.

First of all, congrats on writing a minor character - I don't understand why they get so overlooked when there are so many potential in them. And you didn't just write any character, but Myrtle, who is so intriguingly complex!

I really liked the mood of the story, how claustrophobic and pessimistic it feels to see Myrtle trapped in her perpetual youth, trapped inside her own mind, too.
People always think of youth as something good, something to hold on to for as long as possible, and I quite like it that this isn't the case here. For Myrtle it is a curse, because she will never grow up to have a normal life or develop as a personality.
Your style serves the purpose of the story masterfully and I just have to say how much I loved the idea of her years of life being "eclipsed" by her years of death. /Eclipsed/. It simply takes the whole sentence to another level!

Um. Sorry if this review was somewhat incoherent (mine usually are), but it was written at 2:50 am, so... :3

Great story, keep it up!

Author's Response: Thanks so much! I don't think many people have written about Myrtle at all, and the reality of her situation just hit me and I had to write about it. I'm still experimenting with this sort of style - the introspective, descriptive one-shot thing, so I'm glad I'm pulling it off and doing justice to the idea. Eternal youth really is a curse, especially at Myrtle's age when she's just too young to look beyond the bullying and what her peers think of her. People tend to look at teenage years with rose-tinted glasses, overlooking how difficult they are, and in Myrtle's case they were much harder than most.

I have a lot of feels about Myrtle at the moment. May need to write more :P Thanks so much for the lovely (and coherent, so don't worry!) review :)

I really like it that here we can see what Fred's death meant to all the Weasleys, because though George was his twin brother, his death affected the whole family. So it was nice to see the different sides all of them had seen in Fred; in a way it's as if he was a slightly different person for all of his family members. I particularly liked Arthur's POV, it was very touching and the bit with the rubber ducks was soo cute!

But why didn't we get to see Percy's POV? Or is that one sentence after Ron's POV Percy's POV? Although that sounds more like George, or even Molly.

Anyway, I'm glad that you stress how Fred and George are two people with distinct personalities, even though they're twins. A lot of people seem to overlook that fact.

All in all a lovely story, with the admirable quality of being very touching without being over-emotional!

Author's Response: Thank you so much, I feel like you completely understand everything I was trying to say! Everyone always seems to mix the twins up, but they're so completely different and it's so wrong to assume that they're the same because they look alike!

And yeah, that one little sentence was Percy. Sorry if there was any confusion :/ it's just that Percy to me always seems like he wants to be better than them and appear refined, when really he cares. And his brother dying in his arms like that is going to affect him, even if he's always pretended like he doesn't care about anyone other than himself.

But thank you for this wonderful and touching review, I'm so glad you understood and enjoyed it ♥

This is probably one of the best one-shots I've read, and one of the best Drastorias too. I'm a big fan of Drastoria, so I was very happy to see that your characterization of both of them was very convincing and realistic and just... perfect. Draco is very much in character and Astoria has a deliciously complex personality, what with becoming aware of her own strength and needs and taking her life in her own hands. At some point you had me believing that they wouldn't end up together (and it actually seemed to be a pretty healthy decision on Astoria's part), but the change in Draco was so discreet and delicate that to have them reunite seemed both plausible and sensible at the same time. Bravo!

You are undoubtedly a very gifted writer. Each word in this fic is cold and sharp like a knife, and combined with the second person perspective, it creates a haunting effect. I just loved the imagery and I would quote my favourite parts, but then I would probably have to copy-paste the whole story in this review!

The perks of living in a different time zone from most of the members in HPFF is that I often get to leave the first review, hehe! :D

The problem is that I don't know what to say, because this is simply AWESOME. It's amazing that though the idea to have Harry die is completely AU, everything else is completely canon, especially the way all characters retain their signature personality traits. Their back story and their characteristics are still here, but you take it to a whole new level by letting them evolve without actually forgetting who they are supposed to be.

Needless to say that your Ron is a wonderful example of this. While reading the books, I had always felt that Ron is the most human of the trio - not the one with the most humanity and compassion, but the one who was less of a symbol and more of a person of flesh and blood. And so it is often quite disappointing to see him portrayed as a one-dimensional character who is only useful as comic relief. But here -- here Ron truly shines! He's out of Harry's shadow and all his good qualities come to light; his bravery, his loyalty, and of course the fact that he's done a lot of growing up.
I particularly like the way you justify what he feels for Hermione. It had always seemed in the books that they would end up together, but it's rather hard to trace what is it exactly that makes them right for each other. She needs him to keep her feet on the ground and he needs her because she's his driving force, the reason he wants to be better. I think you captured his feelings for her magnificently. His thoughts are very moving, but at the same time they have something... I don't know how to call it, but it is very Ron. If that makes any sense.

Imagery is a subject I better not touch because my brain will just overheat trying to describe the indescribable! It's just... gah! I don't know; the story on it's own is fantastic, but the way you describe things, the little details, it somehow makes it more dream-like and more real at the same time... Maybe it's the fact that you don't waste too much time with extensive descriptions, but the few ones that you make are most effective. Simply the way Draco's veins are described -- they're three little words, but they make Draco real and they make him who he is.

Well, sorry for this largely incoherent and rambling review, but it's not entirely my fault -- this story has blown my mind! 8D

I can't wait to read more of this!!! (and to see more of Seamus, because I simply adore him! Though I don't really know why, teehee!) :)

Author's Response: I think you must have posted a review at the same time as the second reviewer, because you both claimed to be the first! :D I love seeing things like that after the fact. Oh, Internet, you are strange.

I'm really, really pleased that you're liking this story so much. :3 And especially relieved to see that you think that, for an AU story, it follows canon too! That is, as I've said, something I've been working towards with this story in particular, making it believable.

I feel the exact same way about Ron, too. I love his more comical parts in the books, of course, but there is definitely a whole other side to him, and I think that's drastically overlooked in a lot of fan fiction. It's great to write MY Ron, the slightly more angsty version -- natural, I think, since he's had to take on a lot of the mental Horcrux responsibility. And as for his feelings on Hermione, too, I honestly believe he loves her. He doesn't just like her for her looks, or her brains, or whatever. He loves her, all of her, and the fact that you seem to see this too is really gratifying!

I see this story rather richly, which is, I think, part of the reason why the style and imagery are written as they are. Gahh, I just keep thanking you over and over for this! ♥ Seamus definitely crops up more in chapter 9, and probably 10, too (though I haven't written it yet), so I'm looking forward to hearing your opinions on him!

New chapter! Yes!
I'm supposed to be studying for an exam I have on Monday, but who cares about stupid exams when there's more Love Rules to read? Ha!

I'm so happy that things are finally getting better! Rose ATE something! Actually, not just something, but ICE-CREAM! (salad isn't as impressive, but I'm glad she ate that too!) Ron was so lovely in this chapter! He convinced her to eat precisely because he didn't push/force her to, he was very subtle. AND he was perfectly civil with Draco! *swells with pride, then realizes that he's a fictional character*
Although Draco was super nice about the whole thing too. I told you about it in Lost too, but it's true: you do a great job of keeping him in character; in this one he's older, therefore a lot nicer, but there's still some sort of aloofness about him that is very Draco. I love it! 8D

Plus, it's great to see Rose thinking like a sane person again and trying to convince herself that food is not the enemy. And she patched things up with Hugo! Finally! :)
I'm very curious to see where on earth Scorpius has been... I hope he has a good excuse for not showing up at the hospital wing!

Can't believe we're so close to the end - I don't want it to finish, but at the same time I do because I'm a sucker for happy endings and I want to see everyone happy! Even Kayla! (no, just kidding) ;)
Once again I'm amazed at how skillfully you handle intricate plot lines and an ensemble cast of characters (both of which I find intimidating)!!

Got to get back to studying, blurghh!!!
Thanks for giving me a great reason to procrastinate! (procrastination being my life philosophy) =)

Author's Response: Sheesh Sophie, you write an essay for every review! Don't get me wrong, I love it, but I'm worried about your studying haha

She's going to slowly get better now... but there will be bumps along the road - just a heads up! Ron and the rest of her family are going to be so important for her recovery, so this chapter sort of set that up.

Scorpius is silly. Let's leave it at that!

Sometimes I regret starting a 'novel' length story. I've never really appreciated how difficult it can be. I guess you've got to start somewhere though.

Thanks for being such an awesome reviewer! Now it's time for me to do my own studying -;-'

Well!
This is definitely interesting!
I must tell you from the start that I loathe Dramione on principle (I like both Hermione and Draco, but NOT together!), but for you and your lovely writing I shall bear it!
No, seriously, I will understand it if a "thing" develops between the two of them, but Hermione MUST end up with Ron! Fat chance this will happen though, with him being so pushy! Can't he understand that she's confused???

Your Hermione is definitely intriguing; she really comes across as somewhat lost because of her amnesia, but at the same time a great part of her personality is still there, so there's definitely a coldness about her, you know? She has all that stuff to process, but she remains calm and reserved - at least as much as she can. I love it that she can feel and NOT feel at the same time, it makes her confusion even more apparent. You know, it just hit me that your Hermione and my Lavender are kindred spirits! They push people away because they feel they have too many issues to solve before they can have any kind of functional relationship. Maybe I went a bit far with this one, Idk.

But speaking of Lavender, I'm super happy that you mentioned her in the previous chapter!!! AND she was with dear Seamus!!! They're my little obsession, the two of them and I'm always thrilled to find them in stories I didn't expect them to be!

One last thing. Draco: so much in character! Changed by the war of course, but I'm kind of glad that he's still haughty and mean - I couldn't possibly imagine him changing that much!

Your skills never fail to amaze me - you're so good at writing both drama and comedy!
Obviously I'm very eager to read more of this! :)

(btw, I have a new story up if you're interested!) ;)

Author's Response: You know what? I hate Dramione also (mainly because Tom Felton looks like a weird, bleached-blonde alien - not that I judge people by their looks). To be honest, I'm not quite sure what possessed me to write this story. I guess I needed established characters who already had relationships formed, and who better than Ron, Hermione and Malfoy?

I've really tried to put myself in Hermione's imaginary shoes - what would it be like if I woke up thinking I was nineteen, but actually four years had passed and I like, had kids and a husband and I was finished uni? It would just be so scary and confronting. Hermione deals with this hypothetical situation far better than what I do!

If it's any consolation, there will be a lot of interaction between Ron and Hermione in about chapter 6 - he wooes her back, blah blah blah. This story is essentially a love triangle - who knows who will win her (well actually I do, but I'm not telling)!

Sooo, like the lazy person that I am, I'm going to give you a review in this last chapter instead of giving you one for each chapter as I should have (I know; kill me now and spare me the shame and humiliation).
Anyway. Have I told you how much I love your writing? I really admire the fact that you can handle writing so many characters, and so skillfully!
I love your Rose. (Which kind of makes up for almost-hating your Lily, I guess!) She's so relatable, so human. She's being childish, yes, she's hot-headed, yes, but she's also very caring and protective of the ones she loves.
And the way you describe her condition... how innocent it seemed at first, what with her wanting to be a bit more fit, and now she's at the brink of death! I think you described her transition to obsession very realistically and very delicately at the same time.
I hope she gets better soon!

Author's Response: You leave the best reviews. I would have been shocked if you left one for every chapter... that would be a lot of writing!

Whenever I reread this story, I cringe. It was my first fanfiction, and I like to think my writing has improved since the first chapter! I routinely go through and change things in this story, it drives me crazy! So I'm really glad you like it - I feel that it's not my best, but I love it anyway.

I really aprpreciate your comment about the transition to obsession. It's such an easy thing to do, that you don't even realise what is happening at first.

Thank you for taking so much time to read my stories and write reviews, you're the best. Can't wait to read more of your work :)

Honestly, this is the most hilarious story I've read in quite some time!
Voldemort is a HIPSTER! :D :D :D It's probably going to take me about a week to stop laughing with that one!
Why can't you give him a break, though? It was Christmas after all! :)

Author's Response: Thanks again! And alas, poor Voldy can never catch a break.

Voldy and Darth! I don't dare think what would happen if they ever joined forces! :0
It's funny how Voldemort thinks that Darth is the weird one! Clearly he has a very distorted self-image...
I love your popular culture references! :)

This is parody at it's best! I laughed so hard that I got tears in my eyes and my stomach started aching! But it was totally worth it! And that Twilight reference! The whole thing is just ingenious! Poor Voldy, I almost feel sorry for him!

Oh-oh!
Things are definitely getting interesting...!
Is it very mean of me that I can't wait for Lily to get the sack from Puddlemere United and join the Cannons? :)
I generally don't read much Next Gen or stuff in which Quidditch plays an important part, but I'm really looking forward to reading more of this! :)

Author's Response: Not mean at all. She needs to be taken down a peg or ten.

Oh, Lily!
She's a bit wild, isn't she? And vain, and too self-confident, and a tad bit arrogant, and - and...
Obviously I don't like her that much! But I guess this is what you were going for, right? She has to be imperfect, so that she can improve and so that there can be a plot, because obviously perfect characters who have solved all their issues are not at all helpful at creating a plot...!
OK, back to the point, which is that if you really were trying to make Lily a bit unlikeable, then congratulations. It's the perfect balance really, because you haven't made her so obnoxious that someone would loose their interest in reading about her... Another proof that you know how to handle your characters perfectly!
Idk why I don't like Lily, maybe I'm just jealous because she's wayyy more confident than I'll ever be, haha! I love that she stands up to her parents and has her own voice, though. :)
Do I need to say that I like your writing in this one? (as if I don't like it in other of your stories!) Well, I'm going to say it anyway: I like it! I like the lightness of it, but I like that, somehow, there's a darker tone underneath... I hope I'm not just imagining that!
OK, I think I'll stop rambling NOW. Not that I don't looove rambling, it's just that I have to go to the next chapter! ;)

Author's Response: I wasn't trying to make her unlikeable... Ha jokes Lily is an awful person! I've tried to give her some redeeming qualities, but you're right - she is meant to be unlikeable.

This story is sort of a coming-of-age story. I originally wrote it to be fluffy and awful, but I'm changing direction. So Lily isn't going to be as bad as she is now!

First review for this chapter!
It seems only appropriate since you gave me my first review ever, haha! Your penname rang a bell, so I ran (OK, I made the mouse run) to your page... where I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that I have already read some of your stories!
I had read the first two chapters of "A Cup of Tea" a few weeks ago and I found them immensely enjoyable!
I love your depiction of Audrey; She is quirky, spontaneous and insecure and absolutely human, I love that. And I love that you write about everyday things, and how you write about those things... I mean, angst and the great philosophical questions are fine, but the everyday, ordinary things are important too. Interaction with people is important! And instead of embarrassing, you make all the awkward moments and details of everyday life fun and original!
I admire anyone who writes humor (it's so much more difficult than drama!), but I admire you more, because you do it well! :)

Author's Response: What a lovely review, thank you for taking time out of your day to read my story!

I find it so hard to write comedies. While I have a great sense of humour, I'm not actually funny, if you understand what I mean.

Audrey is so much fun to write, she's such a duffer. Plus I decided that her and Percy get too much hard press from other writers, so I changed that up a bit.

Thanks again for reviewing. I'm looking forward to more of your writing!